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Recipe: Niçoise salad
Niçoise salad, or salade niçoise is a classic French dish quite popular worldwide. It originated in the city of Nice, in the Southeast coast of the country. There are several ways of making niçoise salad and I won’t claim mine is the right one (especially because I’ve never been to France!!). My recipe is simple, cheap, nutritious and delicious. Salade niçoise is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, high in protein and moderate in carbohydrates. It’s also pretty filling thanks to the protein, fibre and healthy fats including omega-3 from the tuna and monounsaturated fats from the olives and extra virgin olive oil.
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Product review: Slendier konjac pasta and rice
As its name implies, Slendier is a brand of food products designed to help with weight loss. Slendier konjac pasta and rice come in different styles to suit your culinary needs. What is konjac? The dictionary tells us konjac is “the swollen underground stem of a herb that grows in parts of Asia and is often used for adding fibre to food, or the herb itself.” (1) Konjac is very low in carbohydrates and very high in a type of fibre called glucomannan, which is linked to several health benefits, including appetite control and digestive health. Slendier konjac range All Slendier konjac pasta and rice style products come in 2-serve…
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Plant-based burgers
Plant-based burgers are becoming more available in Australian supermarkets and fast food chains. Read on to find out which burger options are out there, what are their ingredients and their nutritional breakdown. Plant-based vs vegan It is common to use the terms “plant-based” and “vegan” interchangeably. However, plant-based does not necessarily mean vegan. Instead, it means that is predominantly vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and other plant foods (you can argue here if this is to be determined by volume, weight or energy percentage). Vegan means no animal products whatsoever. Having said that, most food products that are advertised as “plant-based” are actually vegan. The interest in both terms has experienced…
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Product review: Orgran Sugar-Free Cereal
Orgran Sugar-Free Cereal is a good alternative for those looking for a mostly allergen-free breakfast cereal alternative, which is, in addition, free of added sugar. The brand Orgran is a brand of gluten-free products founded back in the 1980s. Their range include baking and cooking ingredients, biscuits, breakfast products, crispbreads, dessert mixes, pasta and snacks. Orgran Sugar-Free Cereal The breakfast range of Orgran products include 2 sugar-free cereals: matcha & coconut and acai & coconut. Both are free of dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs, nuts, soy, yeast and, of course, sugar. They do not contain GMOs or MSG and are, in addition, kosher. These cereals come in 200g boxes, with a…
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Oat milk comeback
Oat milk is back! I probably tried it for the first time 10-15 years ago. The oat milk comeback is evident now that coffee shops have it on display and/or announce it on the blackboard. Oat milk comeback evidence I used the trusty Google Trends to check how interest in oat milk has changed over the past 5 years. Worldwide, interest has increased in the past few years. The first peak in the graph below is from January 2018, with another big peak in January 2019. In Australia, however, there are a lot more peaks and valleys, the first of which in the past 5 years happened on January 2015.…
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5 easy vegan swaps
Last week we spoke about red meat, eggs and dairy, but what if you choose not to eat any animal products? The following 5 easy vegan swaps can help you navigate this style of eating. 1. Yoghurt These days there is a wide variety of dairy free yoghurt in supermarkets. These are generally made with coconut or almond milk. However, note that the flavour, texture and, most importantly, nutrient content are not the same as real yoghurt. 2. Parmesan cheese Probably the most popular hippie health food is nutritional yeast. This is because it has an umami flavour that helps fill the void left by the absence of cheese, especially…
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Peanut butter alternatives
Peanut butter is a very popular food worldwide. However, peanuts are one of the major food allergens, affecting approximately 1 in 50 children and 1 in 200 adults (1). Fortunately, those not affected with other nut allergies can enjoy peanut butter alternatives available in the market. Why choose peanut butter alternatives Below are a few reasons why you might avoid peanut butter and choose something else: As mentioned before, peanut allergy is the main reason why someone would choose alternative products. Keep in mind that someone with peanut allergy is 25% more likely to be allergic to other tree nuts (1). Disliking the taste or texture. Believe it or not,…
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Product review: Bega Simply Nuts Peanut Butter
Bega Simply Nuts Peanut Butter is yet another great choice in the spreads aisle. It is great to see that big companies are responsive to consumers expectations of products without added oil and sugar. Bega Simply Nuts As the name implies, Bega Simply Nuts Peanut Butter is made with just peanuts (and salt in 2 of the 3 products). Okay, if you want to be pedantic about it, peanuts are not nuts (they’re legumes). The range includes crunchy, smooth and rustic grind. You can find them in the spread aisle in major supermarkets. Ingredients Crunchy: Roasted peanuts (99.5%), salt Smooth: Roasted peanuts (99.5%), salt Rustic grind: Roasted peanuts (100%) Nutrition…
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Dairy-free yoghurt
Is “dairy-free yoghurt” an oxymoron? If you’re of the opinion that nut/legume milk is not milk, then maybe you think dairy-free yoghurt cannot be called yoghurt. However, if you think that the bacteria defines the food, then yeah, making yoghurt out of soy/almond/coconut milk qualifies as yoghurt. Lastly, if you prefer looking at nutritional content, you might be against this nomenclature. Read on and find out. What is yoghurt According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, yoghurt (or yogurt) is “a fermented slightly acid often flavored semisolid food made of milk and milk solids to which cultures of two bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) have been added”. (1) Oxford dictionary…
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Recipe: Smashed potatoes with roasted garlic chimichurri
These smashed potatoes and roasted garlic chimichurri are great as a side dish, as part of a grazing table or on their own as a snack. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. The secret to golden, crunchy potatoes is to cook them twice and smash them in between. I used Spud Lite lower carb potatoes but you can use any waxy potato you like. This recipe will make extra chimichurri, which you can store in a jar in the fridge. You can eat it with steak, lamb chops, eggs, octopus, etc.
